Building-block construction



Sept, '23 192%. 1,509,322

1.1-: RQY w. STEVENS BUILDING BLOCK CONSTRUCTI ON Filed Nov. 29. 1920 Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES LE ROY W. STEVENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. v

BUILDINGBLOCK CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed November 29, 1920. Serial No. 427,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LE ROY W. STEVENS, a citizen of the Unite-:1 States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi- 5 nois, have invented certain new and useful bl Improvements in a Building-Block Construction, of which the following is a de scription.

My invention relatesto improvements in building block construction and has for its principal objects, to provide blockswhich may be laid so that the resultant structure will be economical, strong, durable, impervious to moisture, and also easily kept warm. Another object of my invention is to provide blocks which may be either laid in the ordinary manner, bonding between each course or may belaid dry, and then bonded by hand or machine, more particularly at the sides, rather than at the top and bottom of the blocks between the courses.

If the structure is laid dry and then bonded after completion, I prefer to bond the blocks by the use of a cement gun which forcibly drives the bonding material into all of the interstices between the blocks, as th1s kind of material is very economical to operate and gives efficient results.

An important advantage of my invention is that it enables the structure tobe built in cold weather as well as in warm, for the blocks may be laid dry and then when the bonding material is shot in with a cement gun there will be no danger of the bonding material freezing while being applied to the finished structure, for it is comparatively easy to keep the. bonding material warm while applying it.

Any of the well known types of wall may 40 be built with the blocks of my invention, such as single walls, double walls, air-spaced double walls, pilasters, etc. \Vith these and other objects and advantages in view, the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like characters indicate like parts of the views:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a wall using my interlocking type of block.

I front and rear faces to a point substantially Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one course of blocks end to end.

Fig.- 4 is a detail perspective of one of the 00 s.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of-a modified construction-of block. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawing, E designates one of my'improved interlocking blocks composed of any suitable ma terial such as clay, terra-cotta, cement, or the like. I prefer to use cement for I have found that it is well adapted for the purpose and glves satisfactory results.

The block E comprises a body having a top and bottom face 23, side faces 24 and end faces 25, the top and bottom faces being substantially alike for convenience and perpendicular to the other faces.

In the top and bottom faces are preferably rather shallow depressions 26, and in the upper edges of the end faces are preferably inclined recesses 27 said recesses and depressions being of any preferred depth.

The top and bottom edges of the front and, rear faces are preferably notched, chamfered, or recessed, as shown at 28, and the top and bottom of the end faces are likewise notched at 29, either entirely across the ends or falling short of the center, as shown in Figure 4.

The end faces are, as shown divergentl out back from the front and rear faces, pre erably by tapering them backwardly of the oo midway of the width of the block whereby they form a ridge 30 extending from the top to the bottom of the block.

The blocks E may be laid dry, end to end, without a bonding mixture, asshown in Figu es 1- and 2, whereby the opposed tapered ends will form recesses 31 between the blocks, and the recesses 27 will serve to admit forcibly driven bonding material to the depression 26.

I The desired number of courses are laid and then the bond is applied. either by hand or by the use of a cement gun, said bonding material entering the recesses 31 and 27 and also entering the recesses between the blocks 105 formed by the notches 28 and 29. Thus the bonding material when hardened will form a key between the blocks and in the recesses 27, preventing lateral movement, and the hardening of the bonding material in the re- 110 In this way the bonding material between the opposed recesses 26 will act as 'a key, as stated, to prevent lateral or longitudinal movement between blocks of superimposed courses.

The top row of blocks of the wall is preferably finished off smooth by filling the depressions 26 with suitable material, such as mortar.

The modification shown in Figure 5 represents a block G somewhat similar to the blocks shown in Figures 18 to 21 inclusive, but the end tapers preferably do not extend to a meeting ridge, but are so arranged as to leave a mid-portion 32, which lies in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the front and rear side faces 34.

Recesses 35, similar to recesses 27 .of the block E, are cut in the upper faces of the blocks F, one at each end, each of the recesses being continuous and diverging outwardly toward the ends of the blocks.

The blocks G are preferably laid dry similar to blocks E (see Figure 3) and thus bonding material may be forcibly driven into the. recesses 35. This bonding material when hardened will serve as a key to prevent relative movement between adjacent blocks.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention;

ence do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, construction, and combination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, said blocks being constructed and arranged to provide interior spaces between the horizontal meeting faces of the blocks, and channels between the ends of adjacent blocks, said channels opening to a face of the wall and communitween some of the meeting faces opening to a face of the wall and communicating with the first mentioned interior spaces, and bonding material in said spaces.

3. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the blocks having depressions in one of their horizontal faces extending to near the front and rear ed es thereof, and with recesses extending 1nwardl from the end faces of the blocks to said cepressions, the center lines of said recesses extending at an angle to'the 'longi- I tudinal axis of the blocks, and bonding material in said depressions and recesses.

4. A building block having top and bottom faces, one of said faces having a central recess, front and rear side faces and end faces, said side and end faces being perpendicular to said top and bottom faces, and said end faces tapering rearwardly from both of said-side faces, and the said blocks having recesses communicating withthe first mentioned recess'and extending to the end faces.

5.A building block comprising recessed top and bottom faces, front and rear side faces, and end faces, said end faces having recesses formed in the upper margins thereof communicating withthe first mentioned recesses, said side and end faces being perpendicular to said top and bottom faces, and said end faces tapering rearwardly from both of said side faces.

6. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the adjacent ends of the blocks being beveled to provide spaces therebetween at one side of the wall and the blocks having bonding material receiving channels between their horizontal meeting faces extending to said spaces at the ends of the blocks, and bonding material in said spaces and channels.

7. A building block comprising top and bottom faces, front and rear side faces, and end faces, one of said to and bottom'faces having a recess therein'diverging outwardly toward the end faces, said side and end faces being perpendicular to said top and bottom faces and said end faces tapering rearwardly from both of said side faces.

8. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the blocks having depressions in one of their horizontal faces extending to near the front and rear edges thereof, and with recesses extending inwardv ly fro the end faces of the blocks at an angle to t e longitudinal axis thereof toward the central portion of the block and to said depressions, and bonding material in said depressions and .recemes.

9. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the blocks having rectangular shaped depressions in one of their horizontal faces, and provided with recesses extendinginwardly from the end faces of the blocks to said depressions, the center lines of said recesses extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the blocks, and bonding material in said dee pressions and recesses.

10. A wall composed ofa series of superimposed rows of blocks the adjacent ends of said blocks being iormed to provide spaces therebetween at opposite sides thereof to receive bonding material, the blocks having bonding material receiving spaces between their horizontal meeting faces, and bonding material receiving recesses extending from the spaces between the ends of the blocks to the spaces between the horizontal faces of the blocks, and bonding material in said spaces and recesses.

11. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the adjacent efids of said blocks being formedto provide spaces therebetween at opposite sides thereof, the blocks having depressions in oneof their horizontal faces extending to near the front and rear edges thereof, and with recesses extending inwardly from the spaces between the ends of the blocks to said depressions, and bonding material in said spaces, depressions and recesses.

12. A wall composed of a series of superimposed rows of blocks, the adjacent ends of said blocks being formed to provide spaces therebetween at opposite sides thereof, the blocks having depressions in one of their horizontal faces extending to near'the frontand rear edges thereof, and with recesses extending inwardly from the spaces between the ends of the blocks to said depressions at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the block, and bonding material in said spaces, depressions and recesses.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LE ROY W. STEVENS.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. HILL, Bnn'rrm HARTMANN. 

